Cheese Stuffed Manicotti

Surprisingly, this baked pasta dish is both light and luscious without the dense and ultra-cheesy texture that one usually associates with lasagna and other baked pastas. Ricotta, parsley, and mozzarella with a touch of lemon to brighten it create a filling that is sensual and creamy.

Even with so few ingredients, the dish is not even close to being plain. Dress it with store-bought sauce from a jar, or make your own quick marinara sauce. 

What Is Manicotti?

Manicotti is a baked stuffed pasta, and it is sometimes referred to as cannelloni. Loosely translated, the word cannelloni in Italian means big pipe, while the word manicotti means muffs or sleeves. 

It might be confusing what to call it, but let’s not split hairs. Call it what you like. Manicotti or cannelloni, it is going to make your mouth water as it comes out of the oven bathed in tomato sauce and topped with oozy mozzarella.

Tips for Making Manicotti

• Undercook the shells slightly. Boil them just shy of the package recommendations for cooking time. The pasta will cook in the oven again and if the shells are overcooked, they become difficult to fill.
• Use a pastry bag or plastic bag to pipe the filling into the cooked shells. Fill one end first, turn the shell, and fill the other end. If that fails, use a narrow spoon to stuff the filling into the shells.
• Skip the shells and buy fresh pasta sheets. Cut them into 4-inch squares and boil for about 30 seconds, just to soften them and rinse them under cold water. Pipe or spoon the filling in a line down the center of each sheet and roll it into a tube. Place the tubes with the seam side down in the pan. This is probably the easiest route to take in terms of filling the pasta.
• Skip the shells and make crepes. Fill as you would the pasta sheets, placing them with the seams on the bottom in the baking pan.
• Drain the ricotta if it is runny. You can eliminate extra moisture from runny ricotta by spreading it between a few layers of paper towels and pressing to dry it. This keeps the filling from leaking out of the shells, making the baked pasta runny rather than firm.

Adding Spinach to the Filling

As mentioned above, you can use manicotti shells, pasta sheets, or crepes to make manicotti. One other popular variation is to add spinach. I recommend thawing a package of frozen chopped spinach and squeezing out as much moisture as possible in a dish towel before chopping and stirring it into the filling. That said, I personally prefer manicotti without the spinach, so the creaminess and lightness of the filling can shine through.

Make Ahead Manicotti

You can assemble the manicotti with the sauce and cheese topping and refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap and foil, for up to a day before baking.

You can also freeze manicotti, baked or unbaked for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator and bake as directed.

More Cheesy Baked Pastas

• Baked Spaghetti
• Stuffed Shells
• Cheesy Tortellini Casserole
• Vegetarian Lasagna
• Chicken Lasagna